Dewitt, New York - Construction Worker Requires Amputation After Trench Collapse Off Amala Rd

The Victim, Austin Almendarez-Hobbs, is an Employee of Fire Brothers in Cicero

Last Update: 7/13/2020

The construction accident occurred on Thursday, January 23rd near 6376 Amala Road. Almendarez-Hobbs was reported to have been working on a broken water line in a 7-foot deep trench when it caved in with him still inside.

DeWitt emergency crews responded to the accident just before 5PM and were able to extricate the victim and transport him to Upstate University Hospital for treatment. The man had to have one of his big toes amputated but is expected to recover.

Chase Bilodeau, the DeWitt Police Captain, offered the details on the incident to the public. The state’s OSHA division has reportedly opened an investigation into the accident.

Legal Recourses for Injured Construction Employees

An experienced construction accident attorney and contributor to Legal Herald, Laurence Banville offered the following insight for any persons who may have been the victim of any type of workplace or construction injury:

“Prior to the establishment of workers’ comp regulations, most employees who suffered an injury while on-the-job had to file a lawsuit against their employer. Through these lawsuits, they would look to be compensated for the damages, physical or otherwise, which resulted from the incident.

Unfortunately, this way of dealing with injuries was quite inefficient and ultimately did not provide help to victims of work injuries that they deserved. As a result, states put into place the workers’ compensation system.

Through the worker’s comp system, victims of any kind of workplace accidents have the right to receive compensation that covers their medical expenses and, in some instances, a portion of wages lost due to disability. On the other hand, it also prevents employees from suing their employers in most situations.

Unfortunately, while the worker’s comp system is intended to help injured employees, it can be quite complex. In many cases, the system itself possesses obstacles that prevent victims from receiving the full compensation they deserve.

For this reason, one of the best decisions injured workers can take is to enlist the help of an experienced worker’s comp attorney. These attorneys are very familiar with the system and can handle all the paperwork required for victims to receive their deserved compensation while they concentrate on what’s most important – healing and recovery.”

Source

https://www.syracuse.com/news/2020/01/23-year-old-loses-part-of-toe-in-accident-repairing-water-line-in-dewitt-police-say.html